counterrevolution

[ koun-ter-rev-uh-loo-shuhn ]

noun

1. a revolution against a government recently established by a revolution.
2. a political movement that resists revolutionary tendencies.

Word History and Origins

Origin of counterrevolution¹

1785–95; counter- + revolution, as translation of French contre-révolution

Example Sentences

The America-haters rightly fear that he and his party are on the threshold of a successful counterrevolution.

From Salon

When Leo arrived at Cornell University as an undergraduate in the fall of 1983, a counterrevolution in the legal world was gaining momentum.

From Salon

The rest of the movie is about the Barbies deploying their political organizing skills and the Kens’ underdeveloped sense of self-awareness to successfully stage a counterrevolution and get their Dreamhouses back.

From Los Angeles Times

The historic 1919 Seattle general strike was partially ignited by longshore workers refusing to load a cargo of rifles intended to arm the czarist counterrevolution.

From Seattle Times

Sherry Ning, a writer in Toronto, was only half-joking when she recently tweeted, “The next counterrevolution is the return of whole milk.”

From New York Times

Related Words

• backlash